Lost Light
by xXWingedPandasXx
Summary: In the small town of Ruben, a group of thieves steal its El which threatens to plunge Ruben into a deadly winter. To save the town, a young boy leaves the safety of Ruben's borders to search for the lost El. His brave endeavor will ultimately spiral into an journey that will intertwine a multitude of fates... Pairings as follows Elsword x Aisha Raven x Eve Chung x Rena
1. Prologue

Hi! This is xXWingedPandasXx here with a new elsword fanfiction

This is actually my first fanfic so I'm a bit nervous but I tried my best so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D

**Disclaimer:The characters aren't mine nor is the game.**

* * *

In the beginning, there was a large continent amidst a large expanse of water. Its surface was barren and any form of life was scarce if there was any at all. One day, a large gem fell from the sky and embedded itself into the land. This gem radiated life energy and the entire continent was soon filled with its light. The barren landscape was quickly replaced with forests, grassy plains, swamps and deserts and thousands of different species started to appear, including humans. The humans praised the mysterious gem that had given them life, and named it the "El" stone. The continent was also named Elrios in honor of the El. Civilizations started to sprout, each of them blessed with the El's light. Using the El as a power source humans advanced their civilization to the point of being able to create humanoid robots. These new mechanical beings which were powered by El, were dubbed as the "nasod" race. Together both the nasods and the humans led each other to a time of peace and prosperity.

But soon humanity's greed and selfish nature took hold and humans soon forgot to value the power of El and overused its power for their own needs. Soon there wasn't enough El energy for both humans and nasods and so the human nasod war began. This war went on for years on end and both sides suffered heavy casualties and even more El energy was depleted. Finally the war ended with the humans as victors, the entire nasod race gone from the overuse of El and thousands of corpses littering the battlegrounds that they fought in. The few survivors of the nasod race went into hibernation to preserve themselves.

After the war, anything to do with nasods was forbidden and those who researched the nasods were killed. Due to the absence of the nasods, slavery became a more natural occurrence as nasods could no longer assist humanity. Some of these slaves tried to escape, one such slave was a young boy who came from a family of Nasod researchers. Due to his parents' involvement in the nasods, they were burned alive and their son was put into slavery. One night, the boy tried to escape and was instantly pursued by his handlers and their dogs. One of his handlers aimed his gun and shot a bullet through the boy's chest. The boy staggered and tripped, falling off a steep cliff never to be seen again.

Finally, after too much overuse by humans the El's power had almost completely ran out. Soon enough, Elrios slowly went back to the barren wasteland it had been before. In those final moments, a mysterious lady appeared before the El crystal. Giving up her body, the mysterious lady sacrificed herself to rekindle the brilliance of the El crystal by fusing herself with the gem itself. And so the El began to glow once more over the land. In honor of the mysterious heroine that had saved them, the humans called her the "El Lady". To prevent any more disasters like this from happening again, people elected a new Lady of El to watch over the El. Six masters of the El were then elected to assist the Lady of El. They were the El master of fire: Rosso, the El master of earth: Gaia, the El master of water: Denip, the El master of wind: Ventus, the El master of sun: Solace and the El master of moon: Ebalon. With the Lady of El and the El masters assistance in watching the El, peace continued for a long time. People learned from their past mistakes and did their best to help maintain the El, and to rebuild Elrios.

There's a special day that comes to Elrios once every three years: A day when the sun and moon join together as one. This day is known as the "Harmony Festival", a day of rest and tranquility of every living creature. This 'resting' was a quiet festival that promoted being in harmony with the nature in order to make the El's energy more bountiful. The El on this day is charged with this positive energy and so the El becomes much more abundant in energy on this day. In conclusion, the Harmony Festival is a day where people work together in order to preserve the El energy even further.

Then on one of the Harmony Festivals, an incident occurred. Solace, the El master of the sun broke into the Tower of El where the Lady of El resided. Solace took pity on the Lady of El, as she had to spend her entire life maintaining the El crystal. Solace took advantage of the peoples' lowered guard during the Harmony Festival and fled the tower with the El Lady. They were never found again. Unfortunately, with all the incoming energy from the people of Elrios, the El crystal couldn't maintain its form without the Lady of El. The El shattered, millions of shards scattered the lands and the human civilizations followed them. The continent impacted by the falling El shards shook violently for months. And in the end, the continent was divided into two. The remaining five masters each searched for the largest El shard they could find and poured their existence into them just like the first El Lady did. By doing so they managed to restore a portion of the El energy. Soon nations grouped around these large El shards, in hopes of once again rebuilding their broken civilization. And in the Tower of El, the heir of the Lady of El remained alone, waiting for the return of the El Lady.

Meanwhile, a small El shard landed in Altera, the former homeland of the nasods. Its energy managed to awaken a small nasod. As the nasod made her way out she noticed none of her friends were reactivated. She was the only one left... For days, she wandered the ruined halls of a nasod palace. Finally, after weeks of stumbling around, the Nasod found that a part of the Nasod core was still active, but it needed a power source to operate again. In desperation, the young Nasod reprogrammed the core to search for El energy and to revitalize the old Nasod kingdom. Then the young Nasod went back into hibernation and used herself as a power source for the colossal machine. Once again, the young Nasod found herself frozen within a dream, hoping for the rebirth of the nasods. The Nasod core sat still for a moment then the screen flashed…

"_Nasod Core activated…Systems Engage"_

Even though 5 large El shards were restored by the masters, there were still many el shards scattered all over the continent. And humanity's selfish desires still exist within the hearts of men and some still seek El shards for their own greed. To combat these evil-doers and to search for the remaining El shards scattered across the continent, the El-search party was formed. In one town called Ruben in Northern Lurenshia, is a boy who became a member of the El-Search party at the youngest age ever recorded. And so the story of Elsword begins…

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_So just to let you know this is sort of like a kickstarter. If you guys like it and want me to continue then I'll happily continue writing. If not then I'll just leave you this piece. So if you liked it leave a review and tell me what you think. Good reading everybody! :3_


	2. Chapter 1

Hi this is xXWingedPandasXx with my second chapter of Lost Light.

I decided that I should write a couple more chapters before deciding whether or not I should continue.

So here I have a much shorter chapter which is basically some backstory for one of the main characters.

Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer: I don't own the game nor its characters**

* * *

_ Tap…Tap…Tap…_

The boy woke up to sound of footsteps quietly pacing across the floor.

_Tap…Tap…Tap…_

Slowly the young boy lowered himself out of the bed and moved towards the noise.

_ Tap…Tap…Tap…_

"B-big Sis is that you?" the boy asked as he unsuccessfully tried to hide the quivering in his voice. The footsteps stopped… The small child rounded the corner and there was his big sister standing by the doorway, her hand on the handle. Her crimson bangs hung over her face, and her normal smile was absent. "Big S-sis, where are you going?" The girl was silent. "Big Sis…?" After a moment of contemplation the girl finally said.

"I'm leaving for Velder tonight they called me back to the front lines today…" She said sadly. The boy frowned.

"B-but…" The boy stuttered.

"I'm sorry… but I have to go. I want to protect you and make sure you never come to harm as our parents aren't with us anymore." Elesis continued with her hands on her hips "Besides I need this job so that I can be assured that you're safely under a warm roof with food in your belly." The boy started to cry.

"But big sis, it'll be so lonely without you. Don't leave me alone again…" Elesis smiled and gently wiped the tears from his face.

"Don't worry I'll come back little guy. When have I ever broken my promises?" Elesis said as she ruffled her cute little brother's hair

"Never…" The boy whispered blushing.

"Exactly." The young boy watched as Elesis got up slowly and opened the front door. She turned to face him smiling. "I'll see you soon… Elsword."

...

Slowly the young boy opened his eyes as the morning sunlight shined through the windows and the birds chirped happily outside.

"I guess…It was just a dream…?"

* * *

So this was actually suppose to be only one part of the second chapter, but i decided that I should hold off on the other bit for another chapter. (the other bit being the tutorial in Elsword)

Also the next chapter is coming soon. Hopefully I'll get it out today. If not, then tomorrow night at the least.

_*_to TetsuKuro,

_If you're reading this then I want to say thank you for your review. It really meant a lot to me and helped me decided to continue the fanfiction. :D_


	3. Chapter 2

As promised here's the second chapter of my fanfic Lost Light.

I hope you'll like it and go badass Elsword.

Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer:Neither the game nor the characters belong to me.**

* * *

"I guess..it was just a dream…?" Elsword sighed as he looked around his messy bedroom. "It's been ten years since she left." He mumbled as he stared out the window at the penetrating sunlight.

"Come on Elsword don't just sit there moping. Get your lazy butt out of bed." said a voice at the back of his head. After an awkward moment of silence, Elsword finally threw the bedcovers off and went to the bathroom to prepare for the day ahead.

...

Elsword had just come downstairs from his morning bath when all the sudden someone knocked on the front door. Elsword made his way to the door, still rubbing his wet crimson hair with a towel. He gripped the door handle hesitantly as he remembered his dream…

_"I'll see you soon… Elsword."_ He slapped himself lightly and opened the door. It was a mailman.

"Are you Elsword Sieghart?" the mailman asked.

"Yeah... that's me." Elsword answered casually.

"I have a package for you." The mailman said as he reached into his satchel. From his bag he produced an envelope and a small white cube with a single red core.

"Thanks man." Elsword replied, reaching for the goods. The mail-man tipped his hat, gave a simple goodbye and left. Elsword closed the door and tossed the mail onto the table. Pausing for a second he picked up the white envelope and turned it over, revealing the El Search Party seal. "Heh…took them a while." Elsword chuckled as he ripped open the envelope and read its contents. "I knew I would get accepted but it still feels nice to know." Elsword then turned his attention to the single white cube. He picked it up, feeling its light weight. He pressed the red core which then started to glow. The light spread through the cube until it was completely consumed by it. Finally, the glow died down and where the cube once was stood a small pile of clothes. "Oh...My uniform's here." The uniform consisted of a red turtleneck sweater, an iron shoulder guard, white and black shorts, black socks and a pair of armored shoes. Taking the clothes in his arms, Elsword went into the bathroom to change into his new outfit. Five minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom, finally noticing the second paper within the envelope. "A mission right off the bat, sort of strange to be asking their newest member…" Elsword picked up the letter and read it. Immediately his happy demeanor changed into anger and he slammed the note onto the table. "One of the small El has been stolen! How could they be so careless!" he continued "Don't they know how to guard the town's treasures properly?" Elsword sighed and put on his gloves. "Fine I'll just find the El myself!" Grabbing his greatsword, Elsword quickly rushed into the forest to pursue the thieves.

...

The pair of thieves panted heavily as they ran from a certain red-clad pursuer.

"This kid won't get off our tail!" One bandit said to his partner.

"No sh#%! Keep running!" The other bandit retorted angrily as the crimson-haired boy kept getting closer by the second. Elsword smirked as he was gaining on them quite easily. How the rest of the El Search Party couldn't catch these guys was beyond the athletic warrior's comprehension. Suddenly he pushed his feet off the ground, concentrating his mana within his legs. He bounded into the air with superhuman force and sailed over the pair of bandits's heads.

"I got you now thieves!" Elsword shouted as he crashed into the ground creating a small crater. The sheer force of the impact sent the bandits face-planting into the trees, knocking them both out. Casually, Elsword walked over to one of the unconscious bandits and lifted him by the collar. "Where is the El, scum?" he demanded as he shook the bandit awake. The bandit trembled in fear. Elsword frowned and repeated his question in a much more furious tone "**WHERE IS THE EL, YOU** _ (insert nice words here)_." The bandit gulped and said.

"We...W-well" The bandit started speaking softly as gallons of sweat poured down his face as he tried to explain the situation in his panicked state. Elsword raised his eyebrow.

"Say what…?"

"W-well…We uh…"

"Just spit it out already."

"**A BLUE DEMON TOOK IT!**" The bandit finally shouted. There was an awkward silence. Elsword sighed

"Nice excuse, now tell me the truth or else…"

"But it is the truth!" The bandit interrupted.

"Oh come on, don't expect me to belie…!" Elsword started to say until he was interrupted by a soft _thump_ from behind. Slowly Elsword turned around and stared at the faint outline of a large monster in the distance. It was a massive azure demon with two blue sharp tusks on either side of its head. Its jaw was lined with dozens of menacing teeth and its shoulders were covered in mounds of white fur. The claws on each of its hands and paws glinted wickedly in the sun. They looked so sharp that if they cut rock, elsword was almost sure that it would appear as if the rock was made of butter. And just like the bandit said, within its palm was the small El shard.

"See there it is! I told you there was a demon." the bandit started looking smug but stopped when he saw the crimson-haired knight who was now wearing a dark smile across his face. The bandit gulped.

_Five minutes later…_

"Thanks for the information buddy." Elsword shouted over his shoulder at the bandits who were now beaten up and bound securely to a tree. Now to get the El back from that demon, Elsword thought as he ran further into the woods.

_I'll catch up to you someday…big sis!_

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So finally the journey of Elsword begins...(took way too long but i digress XP)

Anyway, next chapter will probably include aisha and rena(hopefully) so pretty good right?

Remember to leave a review and critique my writing as I'm sure there are millions of things that I missed when editing this not to mention how boring this probably is... DX


	4. Chapter 3

Hi this is xXWingedPandasXx and here's chapter 3 to the Lost Light series.

Aisha: Hi everyone!

Author: Wait where'd you come from?!

Aisha: I teleported XP

Author: But this is my author's box... DX

Aisha: Not anymore :D

Author: D:

I wanted to say thank you to anyone who's helped support me so far by writing a review or following my story. You probably wouldn't believe how grateful I am. :D

Anyway, on with the story...! X3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the game nor its characters in any way shape or form.**

* * *

_ Within the forest of Ruben…_

"Gaahhh!" the young girl cried as she finished the book she had just been reading and sighed. "I guess it's not this one either." The girl ruffled her lilac hair and stretched her arms lazily as she got up from the tree stump she had been sitting on. "Well… it's not like there are many books that teach kids how to regain their powers from rotten, dirty, life ruining, mother#%*& …"

_10 minutes later…_

"…#$%6& #%^%&**&^* ..."

_Half and hour later…_

"…!#$%& =$* rings. I mean, was trying on the stupid ring such a sin that I had to lose almost all my magical powers." She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "I knew the search would be hard but seriously this is ridiculous. Not a single book has any information on the ring, much less a way to reverse its effects." The girl sighed again. "But I'm sure I'll find it someday." The girl smiled and puffed her rather flat chest out towards the sky "Because I'm the genius magician, Aisha." Aisha exclaimed proudly. "And when I do get my powers back, I'll crush that stupid ring to dust." She said, her eyes glinting with malice. She then turned her attention the tome she been reading before. "I don't think I need this anymore." She smiled and incinerated the book on the spot. In an instant the book was gone, replaced by a small pile of ashes. "Now where should I go?" She asked herself as she held her chin thoughtfully. She didn't really have many leads to go on at this point so her next course of action was tough to decide.

Suddenly a light bulb flashed in her head as she recalled something her old teacher once said. "Oh…yeah, he said it's possible that the ring had something to do with the El." Aisha stood in deep thought for a moment. Finally, she came upon an answer to her question. "Well if I remember correctly, one of the five largest El shards in Elrios is within this forest. She turned towards the Tree of El and smiled. "I think that's it." She said grinning from ear to ear. "Well off to-what the he-!" She said in surprise as a red haired individual crashed into her. Together they flew through the air into a tall tree, crashing into branches of leaves on the way down. Finally, they landed on the ground with a loud thump. The leave-covered Aisha slowly picked herself up and glared at the crimson-haired boy wincing slightly. "Gah…jerk that hurts!" She shouted as the boy slowly got up. The boy was around the same age as her and wore a red turtleneck, and a pair of white and black shorts. He was quite well built and he held a large red and white great sword with ease. His eyes narrowed at the purple–headed girl.

"Well it's your fault for standing there, grape head." He grunted, glaring at the purple mage. "G-grape head! Oh…you are so going to ge-" She started to retort but was interrupted when a chilling voice spoke.

"_If you attempt to stop me then at least be ready to entertain me, boy._" Suddenly a colossal blue demon emerged from the trees and stood before the two, holding a small el shard in his claws. Aisha's eyes widened…What was this demon doing here? She wondered her expression locked in a grim, serious face.

"Why…would a demon be…?" Aisha stuttered, her voice trembling as she stared at the powerful demon. Her knees shook violently. _If I had my power back I might be able face him but at my current power_… Aisha gulped. _No question about it I'd die before I could even touch him. Should I run…?_ Suddenly there was a shout.

"Don't worry I've got plenty more to show you, demon!" the red-head yelled, his voice full of pride as he charged the beast head on. Aisha was absolutely stunned. The demon was more than ten times his height yet why was he so fearless. _Doesn't he worry about death?_ Aisha thought watching as the crimson clad boy leapt towards the monster, his sword reared to attack.

"Mega slash!" Immediately time froze as the boy's great sword was illuminated with fiery energy. _This boy can use delay! And at such a young age too… _The mage thought, both surprised and a little impressed at the spectacle. _To be able to compress mana in an instant to stop time requires incredible focus, clarity and years of practice. Not bad kid. Not bad at all._

"How about this, monster!" The boy shouted as he swung his great sword down on the beast's chest. The demon smirked as the blade made contact with its skin…and then bounced off.

"!" The boy was knocked back by the recoil of the attack and fell to the ground. In a swift movement the beast lifted its claws, its sharpened blade right at the boy's throat.

_Oh screw it. _"Descendit de Caelo Fulmina!" Immediately the beast leapt back with astonishing agility as a powerful bolt of lightning arced through the air. Aisha panted as she stood in front of the red haired boy, her wand erected in front of her. She turned around and gave the boy her hand. "The genius magician Aisha can't be simply one-upped by a complete stranger you know." She said with a smirk as she pulled him up. "Now…back to our little problem." Aisha said as the two looked at the blue demon. The demon stared back at the pair then chuckled.

"_How interesting_…" The demon looked at the children amusedly and continued "You both are quite strong for your age. If I left you two alone, you could prove a huge danger to our plans. In fact I should destroy you now, so you don't become potential threats." The demon smiled, revealing his sharp teeth. "But if it's a danger from humans like you it could also prove quite entertaining." And with that he disappeared into the forest. Aisha sighed and dropped to her knees.

"Man that was scary… I hope I never meet that guy again." Suddenly, she noticed a spark of light coming from in front of her. She looked up and saw a glittering crystal on the ground. Slowly she went towards it and picked it up. Immediately she felt a surge of energy rush through her. "Is this…El?" Aisha asked herself as she felt its weight.

"Hey what are you doing with that?" the red-head demanded.

"I found this on the ground and was looking a…Hey wait a second!" Aisha cried as the boy suddenly yanked it out of her hands.

"This is the property of the town of Ruben and you don't have the right to touch it!" The crimson haired boy shouted as he glared at the purple mage.

"Hey you could be a little more respectful when talking to the person who just saved your life." Aisha retorted, returning the glare.

"Why should I be respectful to some random flat-chested grape-head!" the boy replied rudely.

"F-flat chested grape head! Oh…you little…"

...

The elf jumped from tree to tree, tilting her head occasionally as she tried to find members of the El Search Party.

"Tch…Where are they?" She whispered as she scampered through the treetops. Finally she stumbled across a large clearing where she could see two kids, a purple headed girl and a red-haired boy. They seemed to be fighting. "Maybe they'll know where search party is." the elf concluded and hopped down gently onto the forest floor. Slowly she made her way to the couple and soon enough she could hear the couple's argument.

"Leave my hair and my chest out of this, you pervert!" The girl shouted at the boy angrily

"Well I'm sorry miss genius magician Aisha." The boy replied, his voice full of snark. The elf tried to intrude in the conversation.

"Um…excuse me but do you guys happen to know where the El Search Party is?"

"Hey you started the argument!" The girl called Aisha ignored the elf's comment as she glared at the boy.

"Well, we wouldn't be having an argument if you didn't touch Ruben's El!" the boy shouted back. The elf tried again.

"Hey…please can I spare a moment of your time..?" She asked hopefully but to no avail.

"How was I supposed to know that it was Ruben's El! You're not suppose to assume that anyone you meet is a criminal suspect." Aisha growled.

"Of course I have the right to suspect you. The El was just stolen. For all I know, you could be helping the bandits. Plus you're super suspicious at that." The boy replied bluntly. The elf's bangs cast a dark shadow over her eyes, her shoulders quivering as a demonic aura formed.

"S-suspicious! Oh…that's it. You asked for this!" Aisha shouted as she lunged at the boy with her wand.

"Oh yeah, try me!" The redhead shouted back as pointed his sword towards her.

"**WILL YOU GUYS BE QUIET, YOU ANNOYING BRATS!**"

Immediately the pair of kids turned and stared at the furious elf in alarm. "**I SWEAR I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET YOU GUYS ATTENTION FOR TEN MINUTES. BUT NOO, YOU TWO JUST WON'T SHUT THE $%# UP. WHAT AM I, SOME SORT OF STATUE OR SOMETHING..!**" The children stood in utter fear as the elf lectured them for about two hours or perhaps even three. Neither of the children knew exactly how long it actually lasted. All they knew was that they'd need new underwear after the traumatizing experience.

Finally the elf came back to her senses, and immediately started slamming her head repeatedly against the closest tree trunk causing it to shake violently. "Gah…I got angry again… I should-be been asking for information but instead ended up scarring these kids. Bad Rena…bad Rena…bad Rena!" she said as she banged her head against the tree.

"S-sudden self-torture…" Aisha started as the pair of kids trembled in their tiny corner. The boy finished off her sentence.

"Scary!"

"Come on Rena, you can still do this. Just start the conversation over again." Rena whispered to herself as she made the 'I can do this' pose. The elf looked at the boy and smiled "Um…My name is Rena, and I'm an elf from the elf village. I'm guessing from your uniform that you're part of the El Search Party right? Are they still in town." she asked politely.

"Y-you aren't a monster that eats members of the El Search Party, r-right?" There was silence for a long moment. Rena fell to her knees.

"I give up…I'm so sorry Elder, I failed the mission on the first day." Rena cried as she curled into a ball of shame. Feeling pity for her, the boy hesitantly answered.

"Umm… my n-name is Elsword and yeah I'm part of the search party. Well there aren't really any members in town at the moment so I doubt you'll see any others beside me any time soon. You see, some bandits just stole this small piece of El and we were all sent out to find it." The boy said as he scratched the back of his head. In his other hand he held the aforementioned gem which was still radiating power.

"Wait so there's no one there at the moment…!" Rena asked, springing up to a standing position in his face.

"Y-yeah..." the boy answered, slowly backing away from the elf.

"Dammit! We have to go to the Tree of El immediately." Rena exclaimed.

"Huh..why? Is something going on over there?" Elsword asked as he narrowed his eyes. Rena nodded and told the pair about the bandits' plan and how they were using the small El as a distraction and would steal the large El from the Tree of El when the El Search Party's back was turned.

"Those cowards!" the boy snarled as his fist clenched tightly. "I'll make them pay for their actions." He said as he started walking angrily towards the Tree of El.

"Hey wait up for us…!" Aisha shouted and grabbed Rena's wrist. "Let's go Rena!"

"I get it… I get it! Now let go of me…" the elf said as she tried to shake off the mage's iron grip.

"_For sure I'll bring back the El and become just as strong as big sis"_

* * *

_So here's Chapter 3 and I hope you enjoyed it. It was a rather long chapter and in the future I 'll probably be posting much more consistent chapters as suggested by some people. But I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as I work on the next! :D_

Translations:

_Descendit de Caelo Fulmina_- "Descend from the sky lightning bolt"


	5. Chapter 4

Hi its xXWingedPandasXx here with another chapter of Lost Light.

I'm really sorry at how late this chapter is please forgive me! DX

This chapter took me much longer than I thought and I've been so busy getting ready to go back to school that I forgot to update the story.

But I don't you want to hear about my life so

Enjoy! :D

* * *

"Sword Wave!" Elsword shouted as he unleashed a powerful shockwave of mana from his great sword. The energy blasted a row of thieves to the ground as the boys stormed pass them.

"Wait up Elsword!" Aisha cried as she shot an orb of fire at a stray bandit that the red clad boy had missed. Suddenly, eight of the marauders surrounded Aisha, each of them with a smirk on their face. Aisha sighed at the sight. "And they think that eight of them are a match for the brilliant magician Aisha. Well that's unfortunate…" She smiled. "…for them!" She twirled her staff in her hands as she quickly muttered the incantations. "Surge, ignis spiritus!" Slowly a circle of fire rose at Aisha's feet as she continued the incantations. The group of the bandits backed away, thinking whether or not the option to run was still available. Unfortunately for them, it was too late. The flames roared, engulfing Aisha's body and swirling into a burning pillar of inferno, the tongues of the fire launching the thugs into the air. Finally the flares died down and the group of bandits lay on the ground unconscious as Aisha stood over them victorious.

"Aisha, stop playing around! We have to get to the El before the bandits do!" Rena shouted as she drew back the invisible bowstring on her bow. Immediately, three small, green energy spears flickered into existence. The elf's emerald eyes narrowed as she looked around at the incoming hooligans. In an instant, she launched herself off the ground into a back flip. She twisted turning to face them as she fired a volley of arrows onto the poor souls beneath her. Many of the arrows hit their mark as the bandits scrambled away in terror, many falling down from the incoming barrage. Finally, the short battle was over, most of the bandits lay on the forest floor unconscious while the minority of the bandits was still running. Rena landed softly on the ground and flicked her lime-colored hair out of her face. She then noticed the red head and the mage that were staring at her, their jaws dropped to the floor.

"H-how di-d you jump like that…?" Elsword said stunned. Aisha nodded.

"T-that shouldn't be humanly possible!" she said as she stood there, wide-eyed. Rena scratched her cheek sheepishly.

"I-it's not that big of a deal…" she said her face a slight shade of pink. She didn't like being the center of attention.

"N-not that big of a deal…! You freaking jumped like nine feet into the air!" The children shouted in unison but Rena held her hand up.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste here. We have to hurry or we won't make it in time!" Rena interjected bluntly.

"B-but…!" The two children stuttered.

"Hmm… Did you say something?" Rena asked as a familiar demonic aura reappeared. The two children flinched.

"N-nothing…" They both answered quietly. Neither of them wanted to inflict Rena's wrath. Their underwear was already wet as they were. After a moment of awkward silence, the trio hurried up the Tree of El, tearing through the waves of bandits that guarded the path. Finally they reached the top where they found a large man waiting.

"Hmm… so you three are the ones who've been messing with our plans." The bandit leader grunted. The leader was a burly man who wore a white T-shirt under a black jacket, white pants and a pair of black boots. "No matter! I, Banthus will just get rid of you kiddies myself." He smiled as he pulled out a large sword.

"Give back the El, thief!" Elsword shouted as he pulled out his own blade.

"Why should I give the El over to a cockroach like you." The man retorted.

"Who are you calling a cockroach!" Elsword yelled as he lunged at the thug. The clash of the blades let out a loud ring as both of the males glared at each other. For a moment, everything was absolutely still as they stared each other down analyzing what each other's next moves would be. Aisha made a move to join the fight but Rena stopped her.

"Don't worry… He can deal with this himself." Rena whispered to Aisha reassuringly.

"But…!" then she stopped herself as she remembered his fight with the demon. _If he could stand up to a demon then there's no way he would lose to a thug. If we got in between, we might just become a hindrance as close combat isn't our expertise. _Aisha bit her lip. _But if he gets in trouble I'll definitely save him._

Suddenly, Elsword crouched down and slashed at the bandit leader's feet. The thug quickly evaded this and rushed to the boy's behind. Using this chance to counterattack, the leader swung his sword down. _Clang!_

"What?" Banthus exclaimed surprised as he looked down at the boy. The blow that he thought would be fatal had bounced off the young boy's sword. Somehow the boy had managed to block his strike easily. _As if he had anticipated it _Banthus thought grimly. Elsword smiled. The bandit leader's guard was blown wide open. _How did he anticipate my move so easily? _The bandit thought grimly as the boy smirked at him.

_I'm not going to be defeated_…With the flat of his blade, Elsword knocked Banthus airborne, the thug's guards completely shattered by the young boy's amazing strength. Elsword soon followed his foe into air and brought his sword above his head_…By someone weaker than big sis…!_ Without hesitation, the red-haired boy slammed his blade into the bandit's torso, sending the bandit hurtling back towards the Earth. With a ground-shattering crash, the bandit landed creating a massive crater. Elsword landed a short distance from the impact, and approached the fallen bandit. Slowly, the boy raised his great sword at the thug and said in a calm voice. "Give back Ruben's El and I will not harm you anymore than I already have."

Aisha stood there as she looked at the red-haired boy and smiled. _He's not that bad is he? In fact, he's sort of…cool. _Then she realized what she had just thought and blushed a bright shade of crimson…_N-no, that's not it! Not it at all! _She corrected as she slapped herself silly. Rena, who was standing next to the mage, raised an eyebrow at the unexplained spectacle. Suddenly the two heard a shout and the two's eyes were directed back to the battle.

Banthus had somehow knocked away Elsword's blade and pointed his own at the red-haired boy. The bandit smirked. Slowly, his blade rose as the thug prepared to strike the young boy's. Elsword grimaced as he prepared for the fatal strike. Banthus licked his lips.

"End of the road, boy!" He laughed as he brought his sword's edge down upon the child's neck.

"Aisha, we have to help him or else he'll die!" Rena shouted as she turned towards Aisha. But Aisha was no longer there… "Where…where did she go?" Rena said alarmed.

Meanwhile Elsword prepared for the inevitable end. _Is this where I'll die… _He thought as he stared at the large blade that would soon be stained with his blood. _Will I… never be as strong as big sis? Will I never see her again? _Elsword closed his eyes as he waited for the blow. But it never came. Elsword slowly opened as he saw Aisha standing in front of him. The mage gasped raggedly, as she struggled to remain standing. _Why was she so tired…?_

"D-descendit de Caelo Fulmina!" She rasped as she summoned a bolt of lightning. Banthus quickly jumped away into a nearby tree. He landed on a firm branch and snared at the trio.

"This isn't the end maggots. If you ever see me again, I'll crush you." And with that, the bandit leader fled the scene.

"H-hey come back here! We're not fini-…!" Elsword shouted as he watched the bandit flee away but was interrupted as Aisha locked her gaze on the young boy. And she was… smiling? The two stood there, their gazes locked on one another's. For the first time since they had met, neither of their eyes was filled with anger or contempt. For a long moment it seemed that there was nothing in the world beside the two… Finally the young purple headed mage opened her mouth to speak.

"You idiot…"

She spoke quietly as her form wavered. Suddenly, her body crumpled as the mage fell to her knees.

"H-hey…!" Elsword yelled as he lunged to catch the girl. Slowly her small body fell into the boy's strong arms. "C-come on Aisha! Don't play jokes like this!" He shouted frantically as he shook her frail hands. Then he saw it…

"A-about time you called me by m-my first name…" Aisha whispered silently, a faint smile still present on her lips. The boy couldn't respond as he stared at the girl's torso. _There was so much…_ The mage brushed the surprised boy's face with her trembling hands. Rena stood at the side her alarmed face had morphed into one of absolute horror. _There so much blood… _"T-that makes me s-so…" The mage's hand suddenly went limp and she closed her eyes.

"…_So happy…"_

* * *

So there's chapter 4 for you guys and I hoped you enjoyed it.

Aisha: ...

Author: You're still here?

Aisha: You killed me off, didn't you?

Author: Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't... XP

Aisha: You're a jerk.

Author: DX


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